From No To Yes
by booksdefygravity
Summary: 53 Times. 53 times, James has asked Lily out, and every single time, she's said no. But James is determined that no matter how many tries it takes, someday, he'll turn that no into a yes.
1. Chapter 1

From No to Yes

Lily shivered.

It was only October, just a month into the Hogwarts school year, but already, the winter chill was beginning to settle in. She wished the stormy wind would die down just a little bit. Her long, red hair was blown this way and that, tangled around her face in unfortunate knots.

She didn't want to walk past Potter looking like that.

Not, of course, that she cared what Potter thought of her. But Potter was always with his friends, and they—well, Sirius—loved to make fun of her.

Actually, ever since _The Incident _a year ago, Potter had been weirdly nice to her. He waited for her between classes, invited her to eat lunch with them, and gave her compliments almost daily. It was obvious he was sucking up to her, but for what reason?

Maybe he was the sort of boy that was determined to get the girl and then dump her after the first date. After all, he did keep asking her to go out with him, for whatever reason.

Yes, there they were: Potter, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, laughing and shouting like they owned the place, standing right next to the door.

The moment she neared them, Potter made a loud shushing noise, and they all shut up. She deliberately ignored them, staring determinedly at the castle door.

"You look like you've had a little fight with the wind, Evans," called Sirius. "And I think you've lost."

She couldn't resist responding. "Well, it looks like you've had a little fight with—oh, right, you would never fight anyone. Just too afraid of messing up your looks, aren't you, Black?"

"Oh, come on, Evans," said Potter. "He was just kidding."

"The same goes for you, Potter," she said, reaching the door. Potter was standing in front of it, blocking the door.

"Excuse me," she said, hoping that if she was polite, he would just let her by.

"Please, Evans," he said, looking at her with pleading brown eyes. "Come on, just give me a chance. Just one date."

"Let me by, Potter, or I'll hex you," she responded calmly, pulling out her wand.

He backed away. He had been at the receiving end of more than one of Lily's hexes, and he didn't care to repeat the experience.

She swept past him without another word, her red hair dancing in the wind.

"Sorry, dude," said Sirius. From his pocket, he produced a piece of paper. It had clearly been folded and unfolded a great number of times. He made a small mark and glanced up at James. "That's the fifty-third time she's said no, man. Maybe you should just accept it and move on."

"No way," protested James, sitting down on a stone bench. "I'm not going to let her slip through my fingers. She's the one. I know she is. I just have to come up with a way to convince her. And I'm _not_ going to stop trying until I turn that no into a yes."


	2. Chapter 2: Book

Chapter Two:

The next evening, Lily was curled up in front of the fireplace, reading a book. It was a fascinating story, and she loved it, but she couldn't remember where she had gotten it from. She had simply found it buried in the bottom of her trunk, wrapped in shiny green wrapping paper.

Then she remembered.

_She had bought it her sixth year at Hogwarts, as a birthday present for Severus, wrapped it up, and hidden it in the bottom of her trunk. She knew that the other girls disapproved of her friendship with Severus, particularly Mary, who thought he was "The Hogwarts equivalent of that one kid in Muggle high schools that always dresses in black and has weird piercings and stares at people creepily in the hallways, only without the weird piercings."_

_But then…_

_Then The Incident had occurred, and she didn't speak to Severus again._

She tossed the book into the fireplace like it was coated in poison.

"Bad book?" said a voice from behind her.

She sighed. "Potter, really. Leave me alone."

"Aww, you recognize my voice from behind. That's adorable," said James, sitting down next to her. She realized that the two of them were the only people left in the common room.

"You know, Potter," she said, turning to face him, "Underneath your arrogant, selfish, stupid exterior, you're a helpless romantic."

"You forgot snot-nosed," he said, grinning at her.

"Arrogant, selfish, stupid, snot-nosed exterior," she amended, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ears.

"You know, as your insulting tirades go, that one wasn't too insulting," said James. "I think I'm making some serious progress."

"Give it up, Potter," said Lily, getting to her feet and glancing around the deserted, candle-lit common room. She gazed down on him. "I'm never going to yes."

James raised his eyebrows. "Wanna make a bet on that?"

"See, you even have gambling problems," she said. "Why on earth would I go out with you?"

"I'll make you a list, if you like," said James.

"You do that," said Lily. "I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight, Evans," he sang. "Oh, wait, I forgot to ask. Would you like to go out with me?"

She sighed. "Good night, Potter."


	3. Chapter 3: Methods

**I don't know how to do that nifty little thing where you put notes at the beginning of chapters, so I'm just putting it directly before the text. But anyways, thanks so much for the follows/favorites/reviews! I've never tried writing a multi-chapter fanfiction story before, and I've never really had very many views, so it's super exciting! Anyways, here's Chapter Three!**

Chapter Three:

"My method clearly isn't working," said James, snatching a strip of bacon from Remus's plate.

"What method?" asked Remus absent-mindedly, staring down at his huge Arithmancy book. "I thought you were just asking her every chance you got until you eventually wore her down and got her to say yes."

"Dude. That was the method," said James, leaning his forehead against his hand.

"Oh, right, sorry. Do you know what the equation for transcolaborative ritron displacement is?"

"Dude," said Sirius, sitting down at the table, his hair still wet from his morning bath. Multiple girls glanced over, clearly enjoying the view. "I don't even know what the trans-hokey ritrol discombobulating actually _is, _much less the equation." He leaned over and cast his most charming look on Alice Selwyn. "Hey, Alice."

"Dating Frank," she said, without even glancing up from her _Charms Weekly._

"Oh, shoot, Alice," he said. "Sorry. Forgot." He slid away from her.

"That was like, the opposite of smooth," said James. "At least Lily isn't dating anybody."

"I wouldn't count on that," said Sirius, nodding towards the opposite end of the table, where Lily sat, her green eyes sparkling as she chatted with at least three other boys. "_All _the guys like her."

James glanced up quickly. "Do you?"

"Bro, I wouldn't even think about it," said Sirius, biting a large chunk out of a muffin. "I mean, sure, she's attractive, but A) Bro Code and B) She's kind of scary."

"I think this may have turned into a bit of an unhealthy obsession," muttered Remus absently. "Maybe some sort of _ineaqualibas complex._"

"You think I have a medical condition?" said James, punching Remus in the arm.

"Ouch!" Remus looked up, a wounded expression on his face. "You like here, she doesn't like you, which makes you want her more, which makes you obsessive, which makes her back off more, and around and around it goes."

"That does not make me _obsessive," _said James irritably. "That makes me determined in a completely normal, healthy, and endearing way."

"Whatever you say," said Remus, already submerged in his books once again.

"Come on, guys," said James impatiently. "I need a new strategy."

"Try doing something sweet and romantic," suggested Alice Selwyn, without even glancing up from her paper."

James blinked and stared at her. "What?"

She set aside her paper. "Remus is right. You're being too systematic, too pushy. Lily thinks you don't actually like her. She thinks you just hate not getting what you want."

"He does," said Sirius, grinning. "This one time, after that awful Slytherin-Ravenclaw match—

"Sirius, not now," said Alice firmly. She turned back towards James. "You need to stop being so pushy. Back off a little bit. Be polite, be friendly. Maybe Lily will start to forget everything she thinks about you."

"But how?" demanded James.

Alice grinned. "Stay out of detention for one week." And with that, she was gone.


	4. Chapter 4: Plans

Chapter Four:

"_A whole week?" _said Sirius with disbelief. "A _week?_ Dude, you are _screwed."_

"Yeah, according to my calculations, five and one-third days is your maximum," said Lupin. They were huddled outside the Herbology greenhouse, trying to protect their ears and fingertips from the stinging, bitter wind.

"Guys, r-r-relax," said James, his teeth chattering. "It's n-not that h-h-hard. I can stay out of trouble for a week, e-easy."

At that precise moment, Frank Longbottom ran up, clutching a thick woolen sack and looking incredibly pleased with himself. "Look," he whispered, holding out the sack and loosening the top. "Check it out, James! I just discovered the best thing ever. This is going to change our lives."

Slowly and dramatically, James reached out. There was no way for him to know what vile horror lurked in the depths of that sack, but, brave soul that he was, he put on his most determined face, reached in, and slowly, very slowly, pulled out—

"A _cream puff?"_ said James, staring in disbelief at the small, offending pastry. "I thought it was going to be Dungbombs or something!"

"Even better," said Frank Longbottom, reaching into the bag and pulling out a handful of pastries. "Look! I've got donuts, éclairs—

"I'm not sure I understand," said Sirius. "I mean, those are some awesome pastries, man. Like, seriously, bring on those éclairs. But I fail to see how this is going to change our lives."

"I found this _room," _said Frank, lowering his voice to a mysterious whisper. "I don't know how. I was just so hungry, but I was lost and I had no idea where I was. I was pacing back and forth thinking about how much I wanted food and suddenly this door appeared out of nowhere. When I stepped inside, it was full of food. There were just tables and tables and tables. It was crazy."

James's eyes widened. "So you needed something and all of the sudden this room appeared with what you needed in it?"

Sirius's eyes widened. "Man, I just had the most amazing idea."

"What?" James, Remus, Peter, and Frank crowded in on him.

He lowered his voice as he spoke. "What if we made it a room full of stuff for an amazing… _project_?" _Project _was Sirius's code word for _planned incident that goes against a bunch of different rules and gets us into massive amounts of trouble but is sort of fun anyways._

"Like what?" asked Frank, his brow crinkled with confusion.

"You know," said Sirius impatiently. "Something big. Something huge."

"Something that would make us famous," said James excitedly.

"I thought you already were famous, Potter," said a cool voice. "After all, I'm fairly certain your stupidity and pig-headedness is world-renowned."

James turned to see Lily standing behind him, her arms folded across her chest, her red hair swirling about her face, matching the maple leaves blowing in the wind. He tried to say something but found himself stumbling over the words.

"Would you let me by, please?" said Lily. "I'd _hate _to interrupt your _project-planning."_

James stepped aside, still trying to think of something to say, but she had already walked off towards her friends.

"Ugh," he groaned, hitting himself on the head. "I'm such a moron. I am never going to impress her if I keep doing these stupid tricks and getting in trouble."

"Dude, come on," said Sirius. "You're totally overreacting."

James shook his head determinedly. "No, Sirius," he said. "I'm not doing it. I am going to stay out of detention for one week, even if it kills me."

"_What?" _said Sirius, staring at him in horror. "No way, man. I can_not _let you get away with this! This is a _total _violation of the Bro Code. I may have to disown you as a Bro."

"I think James is right," said Frank unexpectedly. "But Alice wouldn't mind. So I'll still do it, Frank."

"So will I," squeaked Peter.

They all turned to look at Remus.

"Oh, no you don't," said Remus. "You remember how this works. I am the intelligent, responsible one that will participate in no way except acting as the smart consultant—for a fee of one hundred Miniature Cherry Cauldron Bombs."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Who knew werewolves had such a sweet tooth?"

"Shut up, Padfoot," hissed Remus. "Not out here, remember?"

"Whatever you say, Moony. Now, let's get planning. First, we're going to need a list of all the things we need from the room, starting with six hundred sets of Exploding Snap…

James pulled himself away from the planning and leaned casually against the entrance to the greenhouse, trying to look nonchalant as Lily and her friends approached. Lily looked frosty, but Alice smiled encouragingly.

"Not joining in on the top-secret planning, Potter?" asked Lily coolly.

"Nah," said James, trying to sound scornful. "It's kind of stupid and immature, you know? All the pranks and getting in trouble and all that. I think we're too old for that stuff now?"

"Aw, wee baby Potter has grown up at last," said Lily, pushing past him.

"Yes, he has!" called James, but Lily had already entered the greenhouse.

"Ooh, Lily!" whispered Mary McDonald, following Lily into the greenhouse. "I'll never understand why you're so mean to him, I truly never will. I mean, he's been so nice to you this year!"

"One year does not make up for six, Mary," said Lily a little stiffly.

"Don't be made, Lil, but I wish you would be nicer," said Mary anxiously.

Lily sighed and then smiled at her friend. "Don't worry, Mary, I could never be mad at you. But you know that I really don't want to be in a relationship right now."

Mary's eyes widened. "Oh, Lily, I'm so sorry. I forgot that you're still getting over Sever—

"I'm not getting over anyone," Lily cut in. "I've said it a million times, Mary. Me and that person were _just friends. _Nothing _ever _happened between us and that's simply all there is to it."

_She's clearly still in denial, _thought Mary sadly."I think we should do something to cheer her up," she whispered to Alice, who nodded.

"Lily," said Alice aloud, "let's do something fun this weekend."

Lily's eyes were momentarily caught by the group of boys entering the greenhouse, whispering muttering, Potter among them. Then they snapped back to Mary and Alice, gleaming with excitement. "I have a brilliant idea," she said, and the others leaned in closer. As she whispered, they both began to smile mischievously.

"You're a genius," said Alice, but Lily only laughed, her mind already starting to plan.


	5. Chapter 5: Game On

Chapter Five:

It was torture.

Literally. TORTURE.

All he could do was cover up his ears and hum _Moonlight Charmata_, his mother's favorite song, as loud as he dared. Although he doubted Professor Binns would notice, anyhow—these days, the old ghost was so full of dust, he blended in perfectly against the dull color of the walls.

For once in his life, James wished Professor Binns actually paid any attention whatsoever to his students. If he did, then maybe he would tell Sirius, Peter, and Frank to _shut up._

Really, they were driving him crazy. Couldn't they stop talking about "Operation Emerald" for just five minutes? After all, Sirius, his best friend, knew how much James loved to _plan. _For starters, what kind of a name was _Operation Emerald_? And then there was the plan itself— they were going to plant traps all over the school that dropped things like orange jell-o and cotton balls on people's heads. Seriously, what kind of a prank was that? _Morons._

Still, he was determined to go through with it. If this was what it took to win Lily over, so be it.

Something hit him on the back of his head. He stopped humming _Moonlight Charmata _and bent over to pick it up off the floor. It was a crumpled ball of paper. He laid it down on the desk and smoothed it out. It read:

You're so off-key.

That was all.

But James would have recognized that handwriting anywhere. He remembered staring at it all the time in Second-Year Transfiguration class, somehow captivated by the swish of her red hair and the elegant strokes of her quill pen, wishing he could make himself dislike her as much as he disliked her best friend, but never able to do so.

He hesitated for a second before pulling out his own piece of scrap paper and writing:

What, you're no longer ignoring me?

He folded it up and tossed it lightly. It skimmed over Mary Macdonald's head and landed in Lily's lap. She did not look at him as she scribbled something down and flicked it over her shoulder. He caught it easily.

I don't ignore you; I politely refuse to acknowledge your existence.

He grinned as he wrote his reply.

This is you not acknowledging me?

Her dove-feather quill pen seemed to dance across the page as he waited eagerly for her reply.

Hardly. This is me acknowledging that you are a bigheaded, snot-nosed moron, and you are no ever going to win me over. This me acknowledging that maybe you have some sort of magical hidden quality I'm blind to, but I am never going to see it. This is me acknowledging the fact that I am never going to say yes.

He knew that she was trying to push him away, but he didn't care. He wrote only two words in reply:

Game on.


End file.
